從失明時期探討中途失明者之日常生活問題與其相關影響因素

Influence of Age of Losing Sight and Personal Characteristics on Daily Life Issues of People with Adventitious Visual Impairment

在中途失明人口日益增加的背景下，為了解其日常生活上之問題，以為今後提供適切的社會適應重建，本研究之目的為（1）探討中途失明者與早期及學齡期失明者在日常生活狀況上呈現之差異；（2）探討中途失明者在日常生活問題上之相關影響因素。本研究對18至64歲之視覺障礙者148名進行調查。研究工具使用自編之「視覺障礙者日常生活狀況問卷」，內容共分為「定向行動」、「資訊蒐集讀寫」、「生活自理」、「心理適應」與「人際／社會關係」等五大領域40題項。在中途失明者與早期及學齡期失明者在日常生活狀況所呈現之差異上，以「心理適應」領域內呈現較多之顯著差異。得出中途失明者相較於早期失明者在心理適應上，呈現相對不安之情形。而探討影響中途失明者在日常生活問題之相關影響因素上，則以其中之中途失明者87名為分析對象。將中途失明者在日常生活狀況上所呈現顯著差異之題項進行類別迴歸分析。結果顯示，中途失明者之教育程度、職業狀況、使用文字狀況以及視覺障礙程度等因素，對日常生活問題產生影響。本研究根據結果提出，今後在中途失明者之社會適應重建上，應及早進行心理重建，提升電腦技能，進行定向行動訓練前克服心理恐懼以及活用失明前之視覺經驗等建議。

This study aims to (1) examine the influence of the age of losing sight (congenital, school-age, and adventitious visual impairment) on daily life issues, and (2) explore the relationship between the issues that bring about difficulties in the daily life of people suffering from adventitious visual impairment (adventitious group) and their personal characteristics (duration of losing sight, level of education, employment, wordusage, and level of impairment). We developed a questionnaire consisting of 5 basic aspects of rehabilitation: Orientation and Mobility, Collection of Information, Daily Living Skills, Psychological Adjustment, and Interpersonal Relationship. The questionnaire was completed by 148 visually impaired adults in Taiwan. Age of losing sight showed significant group differences on items under all aspects except those under Interpersonal Relationship, suggesting that people suffering from adventitious visual impairment have more anxiety than those suffering from congenital group. Of the 4 remaining aspects, categorical regression analysis revealed that items under all aspects except those under Daily Living Skills were significantly correlated with all personal characteristics except for duration of losing sight. The results thus suggest that psychological adjustment should improve the daily life issues of people with adventitious visual impairment.